Wanted: 2000 new scrapyards before 2030

More vehicles will be produced in the next 25 years than in the entire history of the motor industry, according to a study by Oxford Brookes University, and it’s raising concerns over how best to dispose of unwanted cars in the future.Population growth and the increasing demand for mobility in developing countries will lead to 3.65 billion tonnes of automotive scrap being generated worldwide between now and 2030, finds the report - enough to fill Wembley Stadium over a thousand times.Currently around 75 per cent of a car’s parts can be recycled, while rubber elements, plastics and fabrics tend to go to landfills. New EU legislation calls for these recyclable elements to rise to 95 percent by 2015.But the Brookes report calls for improved disassembly methods and enhanced shredder technologies to be put in place now, allowing more old car components to be recycled. Professor Alan Hutchinson of Oxford Brookes University commented: “it may not be the most glamorous part of the motor industry, but it may well ultimately be the most important for a sustainable one”.